Charles Nwankwo, Abakaliki
Governor David Nweze Umahi of of Ebonyi State has called Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to show understanding and in their negotiations on the six-months industrial action embarked upon by lecturers.
He believed that there was no way Federal Government could borrow N1.1 trillion to meet the university lecturers’ demands.
The governor spoke in his office, in Abakaliki the state capital, when he received a delegation of Board of Trustees of Nigeria Police Trust Fund led by Ben Akabueze.
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Governor Umahi said students had taken to social vices and were idling away because of the lingering industrial action and urged the ASUU and FG to understand each other and open the universities to enable the students return to school and save the education system from collapse.
Governor Umahi noted that although the demands of ASUU were genuine, the country cannot borrow the sum of N1.1trn to meet the demands; there was need for the government to begin to address the demands little by little. He identified basic problems of the country as security, health, and education.
His words, “Let me say a little on education, which is in our public domain and which the ASUU strike is on; I think that our education system is not being properly articulated. University education is not for everybody and that is the truth.
“The basic education every country strives to attain is secondary school and vocational schools.
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“These are the basic schools, and when you have these qualifications, you will be able to use it either to start up something or to be able to use it to be employed and while you are in employment you will be able to aspire to university education. “There is a need to review our educational system; it mustn’t be for everybody.
“I am not ashamed that I have first degree and my deputy is a PhD holder, it doesn’t matter. It is what you bring on board.
“So, I cannot see how we cannot sit down with our ASUU leaders and iron out this problem about the ASUU strike. I have read from the social media and newspapers how students got into trouble just by sitting at home or engaging in means of keeping themselves busy, instead of being in schools.
“There is no way the country Nigeria will go and borrow 1.1trillion to meet ASUU demand; it’s quite unreasonable. Are their demands genuine? Yes, but we can start little by little.
“There must be commitment on the side of both parties: that is, ASUU is not asking this to take to their houses so to say, they are asking it for our children to better education and infrastructure.
“Yes, but we can start with a fraction of that and then have a programme that will run on the platform of sincerity to address all the lots.
“So, it is important for ASUU to show some understanding and for those who are negotiating on the side of government to also show some understanding.
“Let’s meet ourselves halfway and open the schools to save the fate of our children.”
